Primal Hunter Redux
by Agent Fonty-Seven
Summary: Concern regarding Dinobot's hunting habits leads to a rather unusual confrontation with the Maximal leader, the repercussions of which are sure to further complicate an already strange war. (Eventual mechpreg)
1. Apex Prey

.:: Author's Note: This fic is a rewrite of an older story of mine that I wrote nearly a decade ago on my old account (Takashidaimao). I recently got back into Beast Wars, and that inspired me to return to this little project of mine. The first chapter is essentially the same as it used to be, I just went back to correct the horrid formatting I had back then, as well as some grammar corrections. Later chapters will not be so cut and paste, as there are a number of changes and additions I plan to make. In any case, I hope you enjoy and would love to read your feedback.::.

* * *

"I'm stepping out for a hunt. Do not disturb me unless it is a dire emergency."

The snarling voice of the large bot carried across the quiet bridge of the Axalon, his announcement instantly grabbing the attention of all present. Four pairs of optics averted from glowing display consoles to glance curiously over shoulder plates. Optimus observed in silence for a moment as the warrior approached the ship's exit port, nonchalantly reverting to his raptor form as he strode past.

"Alright, just be sure you're back in time for your patrol," the Maximal leader reminded somewhat dismissively. Dinobot replied with a low growl at first, bearing his fangs aggressively. After a moment he seemed to reconsider his stance, turning away as the exit opened.

"Of course…" With that he left, a momentary awkwardness lingering behind in his wake. The four bots exchanged glances before returning to their duties. It didn't take long for the stillness to be broken once again.

"Say… has anyone else noticed Dinobot acting kinda strange lately?" Cheetor wondered aloud, looking across control panels at the three older Maximals. It was, of course, the shortest of the group whose wit seemed to be the quickest.

"'Lately?' Heh! You kiddin'? Old Lizard Lips' core processor was manufactured by 'Abnormal Industries.' He starts actin' normal, _then_ I'll worry," Rattrap quipped, earning a stifled chuckle from the young feline.

"C'mon, Rattrap! I'm trying to be serious! I mean, don't you think he's been hunting an awful lot lately? It's been almost every day for the past week. He always comes back to base dripping with boar's blood and with an attitude worse than when he left! Doesn't that concern you even a little?" At that, Rattrap merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey, _you_ always come back drenched in tha stuff after a hunt, but do ya hear me complainin'?" Cheetor's optics narrowed at the rat.

"Not _drenched_ in it. And I hunt deer, not boar. Those things are vicious! Last time I even got _near_ one it thrashed my tail halfway across to Pred territory."

"Perhaps he's decided it's better to recharge his fuel cells by ingesting organic matter rather than sneaking energon from the Axalon's emergency stores. Something a _certain_ _bot_ could stand to learn from, in my opinion," the gruff tone of the old science officer's vocal processors interjected, his optics remaining focused on the screen in front of him. Normally Rhinox would keep his nose out of the often-witless banter of those two, but he couldn't pass up the chance to voice the concern he'd had lately. Of course, everyone knew who that 'certain bot' was, including the very one in question.

"Eh, very funny, Horn-head…" Rattrap grumbled to himself.

No sooner had he returned his attention to his monitor did the computer chime to life.

"Alert: Predacon energy signatures detected in Sector Seventeen." The monitor then proceeded to prattle out coordinates in the same monotone, unfazed voice. Rattrap vented out a heavy sigh. Great. Just what the mechanic ordered.

"Speakin' of food, tonight's menu consists of a four-star Pred buffet, all ya can eat!" Rattrap announced, brass-tinted fingers darting across the control panel in front of him. Cheetor let out a frustrated groan.

"Aw, man! Isn't that where we set up our new com tower? We can't let them take it out! It took us forever to drag all that equipment out there!"

At that, Rhinox shook his head. Apparently, the time it took him to develop and build the slagging thing in the first place wasn't an important factor to the young scout. Optimus, who'd been silently observing Rhinox's monitor over his shoulder, finally decided to join the conversation at this point.

"I'm more worried they'll bug the thing and intercept our communications again. Either way, I'm not about to let them get their claws on it," the commander replied before activating his communicator. "Optimus to Dinobot; Your hunting trip is going to have to wait. Report to base and prepare for combat."

Several seconds passed. Nothing but static across all channels. He tried again.

"Dinobot! Respond!" he shouted this time, his growing aggravation apparent in his voice. Still nothing. There was no reasonable explanation for this com silence. Dinobot had only left ten minutes ago, not enough time for him to have found suitable prey, and certainly not long enough for him to have wandered out of range. He was either ignoring his communicator or simply turned it off. Either was outright defiance. Optimus tapped his communicator one more time.

"Tigatron, Airazor; I need you in Sector Seventeen on the double. I'm sending you rendezvous coordinates now. Prepare for battle and wait for us there." This time, the response was immediate. It was the smooth baritone of Tigatron vocal processors that replied.

"On our way." That was enough to account for the both of them, as Airazor was almost never far from the white tiger. It also served to confirm that there wasn't a damned thing wrong with the coms.

"Hey, what about Choppaface?! You just gonna let him chase wild pigs all day while we all get our exhaust vents handed to us by tha Preds?!" Rattrap complained as he finished his inspection of his sidearm. Cheetor folded his arms across his chest plate, narrowing his optics at the rat.

"_Told_ you he was acting strange!"

Optimus vented a sigh.

"I'll deal with Dinobot later. Our priority right now is that com tower! Now move out!"

* * *

It was dusk before the Maximals returned to base. They'd managed to keep the Predacons from doing any permanent damage to the tower, but not without taking damage themselves. The initial strike only consisted of Blackarachnia, Scorponok, Waspinator, and Terrorsaur, but it wasn't long before the other three Preds showed up to play. Optimus' repairs were taking the longest, as Inferno managed to back him onto a corner for a while. When the CR chambers door opened, his optics focused just in time to catch Cheetor hopping off from his seat on the edge of the circular table on the bridge. Rattrap was sitting backwards in his chair at his station, apparently waiting for their fearless leader to complete his repairs. Rhinox was working on slapping together an extra defense gun for the com tower. Airazor and Tigatron had already been dispatched to keep a tight patrol of that sector, their damage having been relatively minimal.

"Where's Dinobot?" Optimus demanded immediately as he pulled himself out of the chamber. Cheetor and Rattrap glanced at each other as if trying to decide who should tell him. It had been a long time since they'd seen their leader quite that mad at a teammate.

"Well, eh… That's actually a real good question, Boss Monkey… He ain't here," Rattrap admitted hesitantly, massaging the back of his neck and averting optics. Cheetor glanced back up at Optimus, feeling the need to elaborate on Rattraps explanation.

"The logs say Sentinel hasn't lowered the shields since we left this morning. Wherever he is, he's probably still there, 'cause he never checked into base."

At this point, Optimus wasn't sure whether to be angry or concerned. He activated his communicator.

"Optimus to Dinobot; report in."

Static. He tried again.

"Dinobot, report in immediately!"

More static. He vented a frustrated sigh. Rattrap shook his head.

"How much ya wanna bet Dino-breath is up to his old Pred tricks?" The comment earned a glare from the Maximal leader.

"I'm not about to jump to any conclusions just yet. Rattrap, I want you to scan for his signal. Open the range up as far as it'll go. I'll search from the skies."

"H-hey! Wait a second, Big Bot! What if Rattrap's right?! He could be waiting in ambush out there or something!" Cheetor protested as Rattrap turned around in his chair to scan for Dinobot. Optimus turned to face the cat, folding arms over chest plate.

"We've been over this before. Dinobot may have been a Predacon at one point, but he's one of us. Besides, ambush isn't his style." That didn't seem to fill the young soldier with much confidence, as his optics averted downward.

"Yeah, well… With the way he's been acting, I'm not so sure about that anymore…"

Just then, Optimus heard the entrance lift activate behind him.

"Guess who's home," Rattrap commented as the lift door opened. The rat could be heard turning in his chair to more effectively heckle the Saurian. "It's about time ya came crawling back, ya sorry—Holy slag on toast! What in tha Pit happened to you?!"

At that, Optimus turned around, intending to chew the raptor out for ignoring orders. He was unable, as his jaw nearly dropped right off his face. Dinobot was quite a sight to behold. Already in robot form, absolutely caked in mud, bright red blood still dripping from his talons. He seemed to be keeping his left side facing the wall, but even through all that mess he couldn't hide the twisted metal just below his chest plate. Everyone's optics were fixed wide on the bot, unable to believe the state he was in. He said nothing, merely strode slowly past towards the interior of the ship, bypassing the CR chamber altogether, likely headed for his quarters. A stunned silence fell across the bridge. Eventually, it was Cheetor who sprang back to life first.

"See?! I told you!"

Rattrap looked around, as if trying to reprocess what just walked through.

"Wh-what tha Slag? I thought all tha Preds were at our party!"

Optimus knelt down next to the thin trail of red, brown, and blue that Dinobot had left behind. Rhinox left his work to kneel next to him.

"That's not _boar's_ blood…" the science officer informed in a low tone. Optimus reached down, swiping a finger across a thick trail of blue and holding it up to inspect.

"Neither is this…" Servo fluid. It had to be from the damage the raptor was trying to hide. Optimus quickly rose to his feet. Enough was enough. He had to get to the bottom of this. Fast.

* * *

The trail was easy enough to follow, though Optimus had already guessed where it would lead. The doors to the raptor's quarters were wide open. Highly unusual, given his preference for privacy. They slid shut behind the Maximal leader at his silent command, and he found himself staring at the enigmatic warrior's back. Dinobot's talons were balled into tight fists against the surface of his desk, the bot staring vacantly downward as he vented slow, heavy breaths.

Optimus approached with caution, knowing better than to sneak up behind the raptor under even the best of conditions. These were far from best conditions. However, even as the gorilla plucked a tuft of long brown mane from between scaled plates, the other bot never lashed out at him as was expected. In fact, he didn't seem to notice him there at all. Optimus inspected the fur, his optics darting down to the damage on the warrior's side. It looked as if someone – or rather some_thing_— had latched onto him and twisted the metal like a knife in a wound.

"A _lion_ did this to you?" Optimus questioned, his voice very calm, being sure to show no signs of aggression. As far as he was concerned, he was talking to a ticking time bomb, and he had no idea just how much time was left. A low growl emanated from Dinobot's vocal unit, but there was still no true sign of aggression.

"As if I would give a _mammal_ the satisfaction of damaging _me_. The lion was but my second quarry. _This_ was the work of the… _Crocodile_…"

Optimus vented a sigh, shaking his head. Well, that explained the mud at least. But two in one day? Of course, those were probably just the ones he'd mentioned so far.

"You've needed to eat this much?"

At that Dinobot straightened his posture slightly, glancing over his shoulder plate.

"The vultures are getting rather plump, are they not?" In other words, his prey of late had become little more than a donation to the local scavengers. Optimus shook his head almost incredulously.

"Then you're hunting for _sport?_"

Another growl, this time a bit more defensive.

"No. Not _sport_ precisely. Rather a distraction from more… _Primal_ urges…"

Optimus raised a brow plate at that one.

"'Primal urges?'" he repeated mostly to himself.

"How long has this been going on?" he asked, though the symptoms of Dinobot's behavior hinted at the most probable source. The warrior hesitated to reply. It wasn't in his nature to talk about personal matters.

"Since the… _incident_ regarding our energon shields being stolen…"

Optimus recalled instantly what Dinobot was talking about. The Predacons had stolen the Axalon's energon shielding system, forcing the Maximals to remain in their beast modes even on base. Eventually, the instincts of their beast forms overtook their logic circuits, rendering them little different from their animal counterparts. If it weren't for Tigatron, who spent almost all his time in the wilds and knew how to control those instincts, they'd be mere trophies on Megatron's wall right now. Optimus had assumed that there were no more issues once the problem was resolved. Apparently, he'd been mistaken.

"That was _months_ ago. I hadn't noticed anything until these past few weeks," he commented, folding his arms across his chest plate as if waiting for an explanation. Dinobot let out another low rumble, optics staring down at his desk again as if ashamed.

"They've grown _exponentially_ stronger recently. Hunting used to calm the hunger, if only for a few solar cycles. Now, however… It doesn't seem to be working anymore… I've even tried more challenging prey. _Dangerous_ prey. Nothing helps…"

Optimus nodded slowly, feeling that he had a fairly good grasp of the big picture now. He was pretty sure he knew what was going on.

"That explains why you're going after apex predators now. What it doesn't explain is why you didn't answer my call to battle earlier today. If it's combat you've been craving, then surely fighting the Predacons could only help—"

Optimus' words were cut short by a particularly vicious snarl. Before he had time to react Dinobot shoved him into the wall, a metallic bang resounding through the Axalon's halls. The warrior was on him in an instant, taloned hands gasping the Maximal leader's biceps in a vice grip and pinning him against the wall. Dinobot towered over the ape, using his superior size and weight to his advantage. Optimus reflexively readied his arm cannons as dagger-like fangs were bared.

"You do not seem to realize what I meant by _primal_ urges!" he roared out. Suddenly, Dinobot shoved his face into the commanders. Optimus' optics widened as he felt the warrior's rough metallic lips pressed violently against his own. His sensors had barely enough time to register what was happening when the raptors leathery torso pressed heavily against his body. His spark skipped a pulse when he heard the doors locks engage. Well, _this_ was just _Prime_…


	2. Pure Instinct

"What the slag was _that?!_"

A loud metallic bang echoed down the halls of the Axalon, causing the young feline to jump in his seat. Rhinox looked up as well, slowly shaking his head. Well, it's not like he didn't expect it. In fact, he was rather surprised the scuffle between the two hadn't started the second Optimus stepped foot in the raptor's den. At this point he was just hoping they would spare the ship in the process.

Cheetor looked expectantly up at the science officer.

"Shouldn't we go break them up or something?"

Rattrap scoffed at that.

"You wanna go get yourself scraped, be my guest. I ain't gettin' _my_ tail within strikin' distance of _that_ psychopath any time soon."

Rhinox vented a sigh before returning to his work.

"Let Optimus settle it on his own. Dinobot should cool his circuits once he gets the ever-living slag beaten out of him."

Cheetor groaned in a mix of disappointment and worry as he stared down the hall.

"Yeah, that's if Big Bot doesn't get it first…"

* * *

Optimus probably would have _preferred_ getting his plates kicked. At least _that_ was a situation he knew how to handle. But his current predicament? If he'd been told a week ago that he'd find himself pinned against the wall with his mouth practically welded to that of a battle-crazed Saurian, he'd have likely ordered that bot to get scanned for viruses. Yet, here he was. So, what exactly was he supposed to do? Blast him? Would that improve the situation or just make it worse? He could try to break free, but the keyword there was '_try_'. It was about when Dinobot forced his back harder against the wall that he resolved to try blasting him. His forearms having been left free, he armed his wrist cannon, aiming for the raptors damaged side. However, just as he prepared to fire, Dinobot shoved himself off the Maximal leader with a loud snarl. Optimus remained leaning against the wall venting heavily, optics fixed on the raptor as he slammed a fist into the display console on his desk, shattering the screen with an irate roar.

Optimus kept his arm cannon at the ready just in case, but it appeared to be safe for the moment. Dinobot was leaning over his destroyed computer much like he had been when the gorilla first arrived. After a long moment, the door locks disengaged.

"Go…" the raptor rumbled out in a low tone, never turning to look his way. Optimus disarmed his weapon, pushing himself off the wall. He took a step towards the warrior instead, earning himself a red-hot glare.

"_Just go!_" Dinobot growled, talons digging into the surface of the desk as if to anchor himself there.

Optimus backed off, completely at a loss for words. What exactly was he meant to do here? His command training had prepared him for just about any situation imaginable, but this? He was still unsure if it was real or if he was dreaming. Dinobot had just _kissed him_. That one notion alone threatened to overload his logic circuits. Not only that, he'd never been kissed quite like _that_ before. The taste lingering on his lips still held an almost electric charge, tingling with equal parts passion and bloodlust. Was this how Predacons kissed?

The Maximal leader was only snapped back to reality when a particularly vicious snarl was directed his way. His optics focused once more on Dinobot, still desperately digging his talons into his desk to hold himself back, fiery red optics staring back over his shoulder plate.

"_Leave!_" he practically screeched out, those red optics shifting to an energized green. Optimus wasted no time in darting out of the enraged raptor's quarters, the doors closing behind him just in time to save him a few freshly burned ventilation holes in his back. Instead, he could hear the sizzle of lasers taking out their aggression on the other side of the door.

They died down soon enough, but all was not silent inside afterwards. Optimus couldn't help but flinch at the almost feral roar that was barely muffled by the thick steel plating of the Axalon's hull, followed by the screeching of tearing metal as some other unidentified object in the room was torn to shreds. He decided it was best to just leave Dinobot to his odd behavior rather than try to intervene again. After all, there was no telling what would happen to him once the raptor's self-control finally broke.

* * *

Optimus was still more or less in a daze as he made his way back to the bridge, fingertips brushing lightly across his lips as though trying to confirm what he'd just experienced was real. He almost didn't notice his fellow crewmembers staring at him as he reentered the command module.

"H-hey, Big Bot! You alright?" Cheetor questioned somewhat hesitantly as he looked over his commander for damage, albeit from a healthy distance.

"Yeah, from all tha noise you two were makin' back there, we half expected ya to come back lookin' like ya'd gone a few rounds with an industrial trash compactor! Heh, seems like ya lucked out escaping with just a bit of dirt on ya," Rattrap added with no shortage of amusement in his voice. Optimus looked down at himself, finally noticing the mud that had been smeared into the fur covering his chestplate. He recalled the moment prior; a mud coated Dinobot shoving him against the wall, leathery chestplate pressing close against his own. He felt his faceplates instantly heat up upon reliving the event in his mind. He abruptly cleared his throat, shaking his head as though to banish the thought.

"Y-yes, well… Not everything needs to be solved with violence… Now then, Rhinox," Optimus quickly shifted his attention to his science officer, hoping to preempt whatever witty retort Rattrap had opened his mouth to say. "Would you mind joining me in the lab for a moment? I've got some, err… biological research data that I'd like to get your opinion on."

Rhinox arched a browplate as he watched the commander make his way rather quickly into the lab, but eventually followed without complaint. Once the lab door closed them off from the rest of the command center, Optimus plopped down into one of the station seats, venting out what sounded like a very strained sigh.

"I assume this is where you tell me what in the Pit is going on here?" the rhino asked in his usual calm manner. Optimus could only hold his head in his hands.

"Honestly, I was hoping you'd have the answer to that question, old friend…"

"_Me?_" Rhinox asked in bewilderment. "What would I know about Dinobot that you wouldn't? You're the one that went to talk to him."

Optimus heaved another sigh, letting his arms fall down across each knee as he looked up at the larger bot.

"He_ kissed me_, Rhinox."

At that, both of Rhinox's browplates shot upward, his mouth hanging open for a long moment.

"I'm… I'm sorry… What did you just say?" he asked once he finally found his voice again, convinced he must have misheard. Unfortunately, Optimus replied by throwing his hands up, everything that had rapidly built up over the past few minutes just spilling out of him.

"He kissed me! I went back there to try to talk to him, and halfway through the conversation he just… Just shoved me against the wall and kissed me! I'm afraid to think how far he would have taken it if he hadn't snapped back to his senses after a few seconds, and even then it looked like he was just barely able to keep himself in check."

Rhinox listen silently as Optimus explained the encounter, his optics searching the ape's face for truth the entire time. Alas, he knew better than to think the Maximal leader would make up a story like that. After a long moment of thought, it was his turn to vent a gruff sigh. He pulled up the other station seat, settling himself down across from his fellow bot. He rested his elbows on his knees, broad hands running down his face to settle over his nose and mouth.

Optimus could see the science officer's optics shift as they stared off into nothing, the mech clearly going over all he could possibly think of in his mind to explain such strange behavior. From the looks of it, the older mech wasn't liking the possible answer.

"This all started a few weeks ago, yeah?" Rhinox asked finally, never looking up from where he stared vaguely at the floor panels behind where Optimus sat.

"He said it started after the Predacons stole our energon damping coil. It's only gotten bad enough for us to notice recently."

"Slag… That's what I was afraid of…"

Optimus tilted his head slightly, a single browplate raising quizzically.

"What is it? Do you know what's happened to him?"

Rhinox drew in a deep breath before continuing with his explanation.

"I can't be certain, but it sounds to me like going feral like that may have activated some sort of dormant mating instincts in his programming."

Optimus' optics widened, and he could feel his circuits go cold in him.

"'M-mating instincts..?'" he repeated hesitantly. Rhinox nodded.

"Considering how he jumped all over you like that, I'd say it's a safe bet," he replied, gesturing towards the mud in Optimus' fur. The commander reflexively tried to cover the mess with his hand.

"S-so… What do we do about that? Any chance we can just wait it out and let it run its course?"

It was a long shot, he knew, but still his spark sank when Rhinox slowly shook his head.

"'Fraid not. If it's gone on this long, then I'd imagine the only way to get it to stop is to fulfill those primal instincts and mate with someone… And, I'm sorry to break it to you, but it looks like he's chosen _you_ to do the deed."

Optimus could only sit there frozen in stunned silence. Dinobot wanted to _mate_ with him? Sure, that was where the conversation was clearly going, but he still couldn't believe it.

"A-are… Are you suggesting I interface with one of my crewmembers?"

"I know it breaks about a dozen regulations, but given the circumstances, you might not have any other choice."

At this point, Optimus shot up out of his seat.

"There's got to be some other way! Can't you get into his code and turn off whatever it is that's making him behave this way? Normally, I wouldn't suggest something like that, but this is inconveniencing him more than any of us. Surely he'd prefer that over the alternative."

Once again, Rhinox shook his head.

"Even if you could manage to drag him in here while he's so hot under the collar, I'm not sure I have the skill necessary to alter core programming like that. That's some serious mnemosurgery, which isn't something I'm equipped to do."

"So, I just gotta take one for the team, huh…" Optimus replied in an utterly defeated tone, his shoulders wilting.

"Sorry, pal. That seems like the only option we have right now. If nothing else, it might help you blow off a little steam yourself. I'm sure you could use it after having to deal with this group of boltheads for so long."

At that, the commander gave his old friend a weary smirk.

"If only… I somehow doubt it'll be very enjoyable for me. I don't think it's much of a stretch to assume he likes it rougher than I do. Besides…" he paused, averting his gaze and shifting uncomfortably, his faceplates heating slightly. "Err… not to get into more detail than necessary, but… I-I don't think I can take the spike of a mech that much bigger than me…"

Much to his surprise, Rhinox merely chuckled at that.

"Well, if that's what you're worried about, I might just have some good news for you."

Optimus' head snapped back to stare at the science officer, a truly confused look on his face. Rhinox gave him a small smirk.

"His mating programming was activated by his beast mode's instincts, right? It would stand to reason that those instincts would directly affect what _part_ of his mating programming would activate."

"What difference does that make?" Optimus questioned." Would it matter if he's a reptile rather than a mammal?"

"That's not what I'm talking about," Rhinox retorted, that amused smirk never leaving his lips. "As it turns out, the fossil Megatron sampled Dinobot's beast mode DNA from… was a _female_ velociraptor."

Optimus felt his entire faceplate heat up to the point he was sure the metal was visibly glowing. So that meant that Dinobot wasn't in rut. He was in _heat_. That also meant that, in their hypothetical match-up, _Optimus_ would be the one to do the spiking. He felt his spark practically jump up into his throat at the thought.

"I…" He hesitated, truly unsure what to say. Finally, he settled on, "I-I'll think about it."

Rhinox gave him a shrug in response.

"That's all you can do, I suppose. Just promise me you'll be careful if you decide to go through with it."

At that, Optimus couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"C'mon, Rhinox. I'm not _that_ inexperienced. I think I can take Dinobot if I'm the one calling the shots."

"Again, not what I meant."

Optimus' smirk faded as he gave the rhino a questioning look. Rhinox sighed.

"Listen… I know how you are, Optimus. You have the habit of thinking more with your spark than your head when it comes to stuff like this. Normally, I wouldn't consider that a weakness, but… It might not be a good idea to get too attached. Dinobot may be on our side, but his core programming is still Predacon. I highly doubt he's interested in an actual relationship."

Optimus scoffed in reply.

"I'm not going to fall in love with someone after interfacing with them one time. I'm more than aware that this is just a one-time thing."

With that, the Maximal leader made his way to the lab door, excusing himself from the conversation. As he left, Rhinox merely shook his head.

"Yeah, we'll see about that…"

* * *

After his little talk with Rhinox, Optimus managed to slip out of the bridge without being cornered by the other two. He made his way down the halls of the Axalon towards his quarters, all the while contemplating what he should do. Interfacing with Dinobot… The notion was an entirely alien one to him. Yet… His hand moved up to brush at the mud still stuck to his fur, the memory of the kiss that started all this still on his lips… For some reason, the more he thought about it, the more the concept appealed to him. In fact, if he was being honest with himself, he might actually be _looking_ _forward_ to it.


	3. Blowing Off Steam

Optimus couldn't seem to concentrate on anything the next morning, his optics staring blankly through the holomap slowly rotating in the center of the command table, his fingers drumming restlessly on its surface. Much as he would love to focus on planning their next mission, he just couldn't get his discussion with Rhinox from last night out of his head. Interfacing with Dinobot… Could he really do it? More importantly, if he did end up going through with it, did he have the tact to pull it off in such a way that the two of them could look one another in the optic the next day? As much as he wanted Dinobot to be a reliable member of the crew again, he didn't want to sacrifice the respect that had built up between the two of them. Then again, after the encounter last night, did that even exist anymore?

"Yo, Earth ta Boss Monkey!"

Optimus gave a startled jump when Rattrap's insistent shouting finally penetrated past his internal musings. He glanced down at the diminutive bot standing next to him, spotting his somewhat annoyed demeanor.

"S-sorry, what were you saying?"

Rattrap grumbled a bit to himself, setting his hands on his hips with a light huff.

"Maaan, I swear, whatever weirdness Choppaface has been infected with is spreadin' ta tha rest of ya's!" the rodent commented, earning an awkward cough from Rhinox that only Optimus would know the meaning behind. Rattrap quirked a browplate at it, but decided to ignore it. "Anyway… Just got word back from Tigatron in tha Northern Quadrant. Looks like his last report was a false alarm. Just Waspinator with his antennae in a twist. He managed ta chase him off without issue."

Optimus vented out a small sigh of relief. The last thing he needed right now was Predacon trouble on top of everything else on his mind.

"Good. Tell him to keep an eye out. There's a possibility it was just a diversion. In the mean time—"

Optimus' attention was diverted when he heard heavy footsteps approaching from the hall. His spark pulsed anxiously in his chassis. He kept telling himself that the sooner this situation was dealt with, the better, but… Primus, if this wasn't one of the most awkward things he'd ever been called on to do for his crew.

Steeling himself, the Maximal leader turned to face Dinobot as the latter made his way into the command center. The warrior's optics locked with the primate's own for but a moment, but quickly broke the stare, averting his gaze with clear embarrassment.

"Where are you going?" Optimus asked calmly as the other bot started towards the exit lift. Dinobot froze, but did not turn to face his commander. Still, the clear air of awkwardness stretching between the two didn't stop the larger of them from rumbling out a defiant growl.

"Am I no longer free to come and go as I please?" he asked in a low rumble, calm, but with a clear note of challenge in his voice. Optimus stood firm, folding his arms across his chestplate.

"As a matter of fact, _no_. You're not."

That clearly wasn't the answer Dinobot was expecting, as he finally turned to look the gorilla in the optic once more, his razor-sharp teeth bared threateningly.

"For what reason would you confine me to base?!" he roared out, looking as though he was ready to tear the Maximal leader to shreds at any moment, but Optimus did not back down. Instead, he actually stepped toward the larger bot.

"Your behavior of late has raised serious concerns about your reliability as a part of this team! Until you can learn to put the good of the crew above your own whims, you are confined to quarters!" Optimus retorted, even going so far as to jab an accusatory finger against the raptor's chestplate. Rather than snap back as he normally would at such an insult to his warrior's pride, Dinobot seemed to retreat from the ape's touch. His optics darted between the encroaching digit and its owner's face, a silent panic overcoming his features. Optimus could already see the raptor's ventilation cycle start to speed up and grow heavier in reaction to their close proximity.

"Th-this is preposterous!" Dinobot spat out, attempting to take a step backward but finding only the wall at his back. "One would think I had proven my worthiness to you Maximals after all this time! Yet, now I would be your prisoner?!"

"I'm afraid you leave me no choice!" Optimus shot back, reaching out to grab the larger bot by his bicep. The sudden touch made Dinobot flinch hesitantly, clearly fighting against the core programming that was likely screaming at him to jump the commander, observers be damned.

Optimus, while he seemed cool and in control on the outside, felt as though his fuel tank would turn itself inside out at any moment. This was absolutely insane! He was really playing with fire, touching and getting so close to a pent-up Saurian in heat like this in front of the rest of the crew. Still, it was down to him to put an end to this madness, and he wouldn't let Dinobot leave until he had.

To that end, summoning up every tiny scrap of suaveness his programming had to offer, Optimus took advantage of the fact that his back was still to the rest of the crew and flashed Dinobot a charming smirk. He even dared to throw in a little wink to really get the message across. He could feel the warrior jump slightly in surprise, his optics widening and the panicked rage on his face giving way to a mixture of shock and confusion. Still, it worked well enough, as the larger bot stopped resisting quite as much.

As Optimus escorted Dinobot down the hall towards his 'confinement,' Rattrap and Cheetor were left standing there in stunned silence. After a long moment, the younger of the two looked around at the others.

"U-uuhhh… Not to question Big Bot's orders, but… Was all that really necessary? I mean, sure, Dinobot's been acting funny, but do we really gotta lock him up for it?"

"Don't worry about it, Cheetor," Rhinox replied calmly, having never turned away from his console during the entire scene. "Optimus knows what he's doing. I'm sure he'll have Dinobot all sorted out by this time tomorrow."

Rattrap, who seemed more disappointed that he'd miss watching the fight go down, merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Eh… Well, we saw how well dat worked out yesterday…" he replied dismissively, settling himself back down at his scanner station and going back to work. Unfortunately, that seemed to deepen Cheetor's concern, and he took a step towards the hall.

"I'm gonna go back Optimus up!"

"_NO!_"

The sudden barked – or rather, urgently shouted – order was almost enough to scare the spots right off the young scout's coat. Both he and Rattrap turned to stare at Rhinox, who'd looked up from his console for the first time that morning.

"I-it's best that you leave this to Optimus. He can handle Dinobot on his own. You'd just be a, er… Distraction."

Rattrap arched a brow at the science officer's odd behavior, shaking his head to himself.

"Man, I knew it… This scrap really is contagious…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Optimus and Dinobot arrived back at the latter's quarters. The instant the door closed behind them, the commander felt the other's arm rip out of his grasp. He let it happen, merely watching the larger bot put as much distance between the two of them that the small room would allow for.

"What in the Inferno are you doing?!" Dinobot hissed out from the far corner, retreating more to save the ape from himself rather than the other way around. Optimus tried his best to regain the smirk he'd flashed earlier.

"Well… I figured you wouldn't be opposed to finishing what we started last night?" he more asked than stated, betraying just how nervous and unsure he was about the whole situation. Dinobot could only stare at him, mouth hanging agape. After a moment to compose himself, the raptor seemed to size him up as though searching for some hint of a punchline to all this.

"Such… _Jocularity_ does not befit you, Optimus…"

Finally, Optimus let out a sigh, dropping any pretense of trying to make the situation less awkward than it clearly would always be.

"Look… We both know what's going on with you. Your mating programming is going haywire and you have no way of stopping it by yourself. So… Why not just take care of it now before it gets any worse?"

Dinobot's browplates rose in utter astonishment.

"Y-you… You're proposing that we _interface?_"

"Just the one time to get it out of your system, then we can forget it ever happened and get back to our mission. What do you say?"

Dinobot seemed to struggle with his answer to that question, his eyes darting over the other bot's frame once more. Finally, a growl the likes of which Optimus had never heard from the Saurian reverberated around the room, and in the next moment he felt his back slam against the floor. He wasn't caught off guard this time, pressing his lips against Dinobot's own when they came in contact once more. As the raptor pressed his body close against his own, the ape became painfully aware at the abnormal warmth emanating from the larger bot's groin.

As if that feeling had flipped a switch inside him, Optimus felt a pressure quickly begin to build behind his interface panel. He grabbed hold of Dinobot's hips and pulled them close against his own, eliciting a small rumbling moan that vibrated on his lips. He took the opportunity shove his weight against the other's body, and in the next moment he found himself on top of the proud warrior. Dinobot didn't resist the manhandling. In fact, the next thing that registered to Optimus was the shifting of the warm plating that was pressed eagerly against his crotch.

The commander's hands slid around bronze hips to explore their inner thighs, and Dinobot didn't resist as his legs were parted. Optimus' gentle touches drifted up until he brushed against the silicon folds of the larger mech's valve, already feeling the slick lubricant that coated the port. He slipped a single digit inside, earning him another kiss-muffled moan. He explored deeper inside, feeling the various ridges and valleys of the raptor's interior, some of which felt suspiciously like old scars. His touching them didn't seem to faze his partner, however, as Dinobot eagerly bucked his hips against his hand.

Optimus couldn't help but smirk against the other's lips at that, taking that as his cue to slip a second finger in, spreading them to stretch to port wider. Dinobot let out a grunt against his mouth, but soon broke his lips away from their kiss.

"If fingers alone could get me off, I wouldn't need _you!_" he hissed out, though he couldn't hide how hot and heavy his breathing had become already. Optimus could only chuckle at that.

"Guess you've been waiting for this long enough, huh?" he teased lightly, earning himself a small growl. He hadn't planned to mess around much longer anyway, as he himself was quite worked up already. He vented out a sigh of relief when he finally retracted his interface panel, giving his spike enough room to fully pressurize. He still couldn't believe he was this hard at the thought of interfacing with Dinobot.

Optimus pulled his fingers from inside the raptor's valve, lowering himself to position his hips between the larger bot's thighs. His spike seemed to twitch in anticipation, but he tried to pace himself. The last thing he wanted was for one of them to get hurt in their eagerness. He pressed the underside of his erect spike against the outer folds of Dinobot's valve, a sensual hum vibrating from his vocalizer as he began to slowly roll his hips forward, sliding his ventral ridges along the soft silicon to coat them in his partner's lubricant. He could hear the larger bot trying to stifle small sounds of pleasure every time he brushed against his outer node, but there was no hiding the small convulsions he felt through his spike.

He didn't want to tease the raptor more than necessary, however. As soon as he felt they were both ready, Optimus pressed his tip past Dinobot's outer folds, sinking himself slowly deeper and deeper inside. The larger mech drew in a gasp of surprise at how much that spike managed to fill him, reflexively wrapping his arms around the commander's shoulders. Optimus himself had to bury his face against the other's neck to keep from letting out a loud outburst of his own. He'd forgotten just how long it had been since he'd done something like this with another bot. Besides, the last thing he wanted was for the others to hear what they were up to.

Unsure just how long he could last after such a long dry spell, Optimus wasted no more time really getting started. He began to thrust himself into Dinobot, pulling himself about halfway out before slowly sliding back in. Dinobot barely managed to contain a pleasured groan as the Maximal leader began to move inside him, the last shred of his proud façade finally melting away. He hooked his legs around Optimus' waist, attempting to pull the other mech deeper inside him.

The Maximal leader was more than happy to oblige, wrapping his arms around his crewmember's abdomen and pulling him close, shifting to drill into him at a different angle. With each consecutive thrust of his hips, he dove deeper and deeper, until finally his spike sunk in all the way to the hilt. As soon as he managed that, Dinobot suddenly sunk his teeth deep into his shoulder plate to stifle what would have assuredly been a very loud cry of ecstasy, his back arching up off the ground. Optimus winced slightly at the bite, but couldn't help but smirk slightly to himself. He must have hit a really good node there.

The ape shifted to be able to hit that node deep inside with each of his following thrusts. The result saw Dinobot barely able to stifle his outbursts even with his fangs sunk into the smaller bot's shoulder, his thighs clamping tight around the other's waist. Optimus himself had to bite his lip to keep from moaning aloud as the raptor's valve convulsed and squeezed around his spike, an almost static charge building up inside from the delightful friction and surging into both of their circuits. He could feel it coursing through all of his systems, cascading very quickly into overload.

Optimus buried himself as deep inside Dinobot as he could manage, giving a few shallow thrusts as he spilled mech fluid into the larger mech. The raptor's valve seemed to react to the hot metallic fluid, squeezing tighter as though wanting more. The commander gave all he could, but soon was spent.

The Maximal leader ended up panting heavily as he lay against the warrior's chestplate, desperate to cool his overheated systems now that the pleasure was starting to ebb. Dinobot's chest rose and sunk deeply beneath his head as he did the same, his teeth finally releasing the smaller mech's shoulder, a satisfied reptilian purr rumbling through him. In all the excitement, Optimus had actually forgotten about that bite, but he really didn't care. Rhinox sure was right; he _did_ need to blow off steam like this.


End file.
